Angel Meadow

When Manchester was the powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution, Angel Meadow was the city's filthiest and most violent slum. This small area on the banks of sewage-filled river housed 20,000 people in conditions so shocking that it was described as 'hell on earth' by the social reformer Friedrich Engels in 1845. - - Gangs of 'scuttlers' roamed the dark streets and those who managed to evade them were killed off by cholera, typhoid and tuberculosis. Up to 14 people at a time took shelter in dingy lodging houses, many sharing beds with strangers or living like hobbits in dark cellars. Dean Kirby's book will be the first history of the people who lived in Angel Meadow , revealing why the slum gained world-wide notoriety. -